ACTFL Names Finalists for ACTFL Teacher of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Marty Abbott(703) 894-2900 Ext. 110

September 17, 2012, Alexandria, VA - The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has announced the five regional finalists for the eighth annual ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year Award. The winner will be announced at the November 16 Opening General Session of ACTFL’s November 15-18 convention in Philadelphia, PA.

The award annually recognizes a foreign language teacher at the K-12 level who exhibits excellence in classroom language teaching. This individual will also serve as a spokesperson for the language profession for the following year. The conceptual idea of the award was developed through the New Visions in Action project which piloted the selection process in the Southwest region of the U.S. Initial screening of candidates is performed by each state language association and the state winner is submitted to the regional language conferences. Committees in the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Central States, Southern and Northeast regions select the five finalists. These teachers are then evaluated by an ACTFL Awards Committee consisting of past presidents of the association as well as other representatives of the profession. The winner will receive a $2,000 stipend.

The finalists representing the five geographic regions of the U.S. are: Jill Woerner, teacher of Spanish at Pendleton Heights Middle School, Pendleton, IN; Leslie L Boaz, a teacher of French and Spanish at Wheatland High School, Wheatland, WY; Lucy Lee, a Chinese teacher at Livingston High School in Livingston, NJ; Noah Geisel, teacher of Spanish at Denver East High School in Denver, CO; and Thomas Soth, a Spanish teacher at Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, NC.

ABOUT ACTFL

ACTFL is the national association for language education professionals from all levels of instruction and representing all languages. With more than 12,000 members, ACTFL provides innovative professional development opportunities, acclaimed training and certification programs, and widely cited books, publications, scholarly journals, research students and language education resources. As part of its mission and vision, ACTFL provides guidance to the professional and to the general public regarding issues, policies, and best practices related to the teaching and learning of languages and cultures.